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Characterizing particle deposition in the airways of the human lungs is essential to evaluate the health effects of particulate air pollution. However, lung deposition is rather complicated, and its main influencing factors remain unclear. Hence, this study applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to investigate the roles of airflow (Reynolds number [Re] = 100–2000) and particle size (1–10 µm) in deposition using a human tracheobronchial airway model (G3–G6). We calculated the deposition efficiency (DE) based on two mechanisms, inertial impaction (DE i ) and gravitational sedimentation (DE g ), which produced hot spots around the bifurcations and uniform distributions along the tube, respectively. Furthermore, as the particle size increased, DE i grew rapidly, whereas DE g grew log-linearly. Particles that were less than 2 µm in diameterµ only penetrated deep in the lungs where the airflow rate was low, but 3 µm particles were more likely to settle in this region owing to the combination of gravitational sedimentation and inertial impaction. Larger particles, on the other hand, mainly deposited in the proximal bifurcations as a result of inertial impaction. Additionally, the deposition due to inertial impaction and that due to gravitational sedimentation primarily depended on the Stokes number (S t ) and the ratio of S t to Re 2 , respectively. The orientation of the human body was another potential factor in the pattern of deposition, although the upright and lateral positions exhibited similar deposition efficiencies for 3 µm particles regardless of Re. These findings identify the critical Reynolds number at which the particle deposition mechanism for a specific size shifts from gravitation to inertia.

يتناول كتاب (الفنون والحرف الصينية) والذي قام بتأليفه (هانغ جيان، قوه تشيو هوي) في حوالي (163) صفحة من القطع المتوسط موضوع (الزخرفة الصينة) مستعرضا المحتويات التالية : التاريخ والخلفية للفنون والحرف الصينية التقليدية-الفنون والحرف في مجال الأواني-الفنون والحرف في مجال الملابس-الفنون والحرف في مجال المفروشات-الفنون والحرف في مجال الزخرفة-الفنون والحرف في مجال التسلية-الفنون والحرف في مجال التجارة.‪‪‪‪‪‪‪‪‪‪‪

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a catastrophic injury to the central nervous system (CNS) that can lead to sensory and motor dysfunction, which seriously affects patients' quality of life and imposes a major economic burden on society. The pathological process of SCI is divided into primary and secondary injury, and secondary injury is a cascade of amplified responses triggered by the primary injury. Due to the complexity of the pathological mechanisms of SCI, there is no clear and effective treatment strategy in clinical practice. Exosomes, which are extracellular vesicles of endoplasmic origin with a diameter of 30–150 nm, play a critical role in intercellular communication and have become an ideal vehicle for drug delivery. A growing body of evidence suggests that exosomes have great potential for repairing SCI. In this review, we introduce exosome preparation, functions, and administration routes. In addition, we summarize the effect and mechanism by which various exosomes repair SCI and review the efficacy of exosomes in combination with other strategies to repair SCI. Finally, the challenges and prospects of the use of exosomes to repair SCI are described.

Purpose The study examines how process/organizational innovation and R&D spending mediate the relationship between financial performance and the resource dependence theory in Fintech, providing insights into effective innovation strategies for achieving sustainable financial performance.Design/methodology/approach Data from 191 financial firms in Taiwan was collected from annual reports using the Taiwan Economic Journal (TEJ), a financial information provider. Content analysis was used to measure innovation activities and financial performance, with process and organizational innovation defined. R&D expenditures were also collected and used in statistical analysis to explore the relationship between variables.Findings This study on the financial services industry shows that process innovation and R&D expenditure positively impact firm performance, while organizational innovation may have a negative short-term effect but could have long-term benefits.Research limitations/implications Limitations of this study include vulnerability to spurious effects and the use of data from only listed financial service firms. Future research should use more short-term performance data and include unlisted firms in the financial services industry to extend the study’s coverage.Originality/value This study extends resource dependence theory to financial services and explores the effects of process and organizational innovation on firm performance. Results show that internal process management boosts performance, while external collaboration with startups enhances Fintech innovation and efficiency, with positive short-term effects. The study highlights the importance of interacting with external organizations to access resources and improve performance in financial services.

Rice production is facing substantial threats from global warming associated with extreme temperatures. Here we report that modifying a heat stress-induced negative regulator, a negative regulator of thermotolerance 1 (NAT1), increases wax deposition and enhances thermotolerance in rice. We demonstrated that the C2H2 family transcription factor NAT1 directly inhibits bHLH110 expression, and bHLH110 directly promotes the expression of wax biosynthetic genes CER1 / CER1L under heat stress conditions. In situ hybridization revealed that both NAT1 and bHLH110 are predominantly expressed in epidermal layers. By using gene-editing technology, we successfully mutated NAT1 to eliminate its inhibitory effects on wax biosynthesis and improved thermotolerance without yield penalty under normal temperature conditions. Field trials further confirmed the potential of NAT1 -edited rice to increase seed-setting rate and grain yield. Therefore, our findings shed light on the regulatory mechanisms governing wax biosynthesis under heat stress conditions in rice and provide a strategy to enhance heat resilience through the modification of NAT1. Negative regulator of thermotolerance 1 (NAT1) is identified as a negative regulator of thermotolerance in rice through the NAT1–bHLH110–CER1/CER1L module. Modifying NAT1 by targeted gene editing increases wax deposition and enhances thermotolerance in rice.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant disease of plasma cells that accounts for approximately 10% of all hematological malignancies and is characterized by a clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. Numerous therapeutic strategies, including proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulators, monoclonal antibodies against CD38 and autologous stem cell transplantation, have prolonged the median survival of MM patients. Nevertheless, almost all MM patients suffer disease relapses due to drug resistance and eventually die from MM or MM-related complications. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a novel immunotherapy strategy for MM and has shown encouraging results in several clinical trials. However, the use of CAR T-cell therapy for the treatment of MM is still associated with several difficulties, including antigen escape, poor persistence, an immunosuppressive microenvironment, cytokine release syndrome, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, CAR T-cell-associated encephalopathy syndrome, cytopenia, and infections. In this review, we describe in detail the target antigens of CAR T cells in MM. We also comprehensively discuss recent innovations in the development of CAR T cells to improve clinical efficacy and strategies to overcome the limitations of CAR T-cell therapy in MM.

Laccases are multicopper proteins for dioxygen-involved oxidation of a broad spectrum of organic compounds. I Novel amyloid-like phenylalanine-Cu (F-Cu(II)) fibrils were developed, which were obtained via supramolecular self-assembly of Cu 2+ and phenylalanine (F) under basic condition. The obtained amyloid-like fibrils represented highly periodic structure, of which the lattice unit was constructed via alternating hydrophobic (aromatic environment) and hydrophilic (both hydrogen bonding and Cu(II) coordination) interactions. Relative to natural laccases, the amyloid-like F-Cu(II) architecture exhibited comparable substrate affinity (Michaelis constant, K m  = 0.75 mM) and higher catalytic efficiency ( k cat / K m  = 773.33 × 10 −3  g −1  min −1 L). Moreover, it exhibited remarkable tolerances in pH (4 ~ 10), temperature (room temperature ~ 200 ℃), organic solvent, and long-term storage (> 15 days). These stabilities were superior among the reported nature and artificial laccases, presenting a more promising candidate in various chemo- or bio-applications. In addition, F-Cu(II) fibrils could catalyze the oxidation of dopamine (DA) to a brown product, in which a new absorption band at 470 nm was observed. Based on this, a simple colorimetric assay for the detection of DA could be performed. Graphical abstract We reported a novel amyloid-like phenylalanine-Cu fibrils, in which F-Cu + complex can mimick the T1 site of natural laccase to oxidize the substrates. Then electrons transferred to F-Cu 2+ complex via N-H···O=C hydrogen binding pathway. Finally, the dioxygen was transformed to water though radical reaction.

Background The Paenibacillus srains exhibit diverse abilities to secrete hydrolases capable of degrading biomacromolecules and to act as plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) through the degradation of fungal cell walls and promotion the nutrient cycling of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Despite the well-acknowledged attributes of Paenibacillus , only limited studies have identified strains of it concurrently produce multiple hydrolytic enzymes and display strong phytobeneficial characteristics. The objective of this study was to isolate and functionally characterize a novel Paenibacillus strain that combines hydrolytic capabilities with plant growth-promoting potential. Methods Strain TH7-28 T was isolated and taxonomically classified through a polyphasic identification approach based on 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, genome analysis, and physiological and biochemical characteristics. Its metabolic capabilities were characterized using CAZy and KEGG pathway annotations, supplemented by Kofam-KOALA functional profiling. Genomic relatedness to reference strains was determined using OGRIs: ANI, dDDH, and tetra-nucleotide frequency signature analyses. Biophysical and biochemical properties were evaluated through enzymatic activity assays, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, respiratory quinone system identification, fatty acid methyl ester profiling, and polar lipid composition analysis. The wheat germination test was used to verify the plant growth-promoting ability. Results Strain TH7-28 T was Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, white and rod-shaped. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene and genomic sequence indicated that strain TH7-28 T was classified within the genus Paenibacillus . The ANI values of strain TH7-28 T with the closest related strains P . macerans ATCC 8244 T and P. oralis KCOM 3021 T were 91.00% and 92.85%, respectively. The dDDH values of strain TH7-28 T with P . macerans ATCC 8244 T and P. oralis KCOM 3021 T were 44.60% and 52.40%, respectively. The respiratory quinone was menaquinone 7 (MK-7). The major cellular fatty acids (> 10%) comprised anteiso-C 15:0 , anteiso-C 17:0 , iso-C 16:0 and C 16:0 . The genomic DNA G + C content was 52.1%. Phosphatidylethanolamine, two amino lipids and three phospholipids were the main polar lipids. Genomic sequencing revealed multifunctional gene clusters encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes (cellulase and amylase), proteases, and phospholipases, alongside antifungal chitinase and endo-β-1,3-glucanase. The biomolecular metabolic gene types and gene copy numbers of strain TH7-28 T were significantly higher than those of other Paenibacillus genus, indicating its robust capacity for macromolecule degradation. The nitrogen-fixing potential of strain TH7-28 T was confirmed via nifH/D/K genes. Phosphorus activation capacity was demonstrated through ps t S/C/A/B -mediated inorganic uptake and phospholipase-driven organic solubilization. Experimental assays further demonstrated significant enzymatic activities of chitinase (8.12 ± 0.66 × 10 –3 U/mL), β-1,3-glucanase (0.023 ± 0.004 U/mL), and nitrogenase (0.164 ± 0.006 U/mL), with concurrent hydrolysis of cellulose, starch, casein, chitin and lecithin. Through the wheat germination experiment, it has been confirmed that this strain significantly enhanced both the seed germination rate and stem length, thereby establishing a solid foundation for subsequent research on its practical applications. Conclusion Strain TH7-28 T , isolated from lake sediment, was identified to represent a novel species designated Paenibacillus lacisediminis sp. nov. The strain exhibits multifunctional hydrolase activities, antifungal enzyme synthesis, nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization and plant growth promoting. The findings confirm Paenibacillus lacisediminis sp. nov. as a biotechnologically promising strain for sustainable agriculture, furthermore enriching the functional repertoire of Paenibacillus genus.

Klotho, an important anti-aging protein, may be related to elevated blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness. We aimed to investigate associations between the serum klotho concentration and peripheral/central BP and arterial stiffness based on the carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) in a Chinese population. We invited all inhabitants aged ≥ 18 years in two Dali communities for participation. The SphygmoCor system was used to record radial arterial waveforms. Aortic waveforms were derived using a generalized transfer function. The central BP was assessed by calibrating the brachial BP, which was measured using an oscillometric device. The serum klotho concentration was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and logarithmically transformed. Of the 716 participants (mean age: 51.9 ± 12.6 years), 467 (65.2%) were women. The median serum klotho concentration was 381.8 pg/mL. The serum klotho concentration did not significantly differ between patients with and without hypertension ( P  > 0.05) and between those with and without arterial stiffness (cfPWV ≥ 10 m/s) ( P  > 0.05). After adjusting for confounders, the serum klotho concentration was not significantly associated with the peripheral or central BP ( P  > 0.05) and cfPWV ( P  > 0.05). Our data indicated that the serum klotho concentration was not associated with BP or cfPWV in the general Chinese population.